The Winged and Flightless
by OnepieceFever
Summary: AU in which Jack who gets his powers back eliminates the Michael Lucifer problem by infusing their grace into Dean and Sam and sending them to the MCU. Unfortunately, due to Lucifer's damaged form Sam's transformation is left incomplete. (I have not watched all the Marvel movies so keep in mind that I have taken a lot of liberties, also, spoilers! Takes place at 13x23)
1. Chapter 1

THE WINGNED AND FLIGHTLESS

AU in which Jack who gets his powers back eliminates the Michael Lucifer problem by infusing their grace into Dean and Sam and sending them to the MCU. Unfortunately, due to Lucifer's damaged form Sam's transformation is left incomplete. (I have not watched all the Marvel movies so keep in mind that I have taken a lot of liberties, also, spoilers! Takes place at 13x23)

Sam was frantically praying to Jack, hoping he would hear his desperate cries as his brother got the life crushed out of him by Michael's hand, not five feet away. Helplessness consumed him as he heard the twisted celestial being taunt Dean over his grunts as he struggled for air. His brother wasn't going to last much longer, and he was next. Not that Sam wanted to live if his older brother died. Just as Michael saw the hunter's green eyes roll to the back of his head, an oppressive force thrusted him back sharply, the heavy weight of raw power dropping him to his knees. Sam looked up and almost cried with relief as he saw the young Nephilim standing over them. However, the appearance of Lucifer instantly quelled any relief, the sensation of terror thrummed in his veins, one that had never truly gone away since the cage.

"Hey." The fallen angel offered somewhat awkwardly with a halfhearted wave. It wasn't due to regret however, but nervousness. He did not want his wicked intentions revealed to his rather naive offspring.

Jack had payed Lucifer no mind as his eyes glowed golden in fury at the figure kneeling prostrate on the ground.

"You hurt my family!" He snarled out as he clutched his hand, with it inflicted tremendous pain upon the archangel Michael. Blood seeping from his eyes and ears.

"Lucifer!" Michael cried out through his pained gasps, "We had a deal!"

Immediately the angel addressed tried to deflect from the accusations, but it was to late, and Jack forced the truth from his father's forked tongue.

"I killed her with my bare hands." Lucifer sang out with childlike giddiness under the trance of his son's power, "It was squishy and wet and I liked it." Sam winced at the morbid descriptions, uncomfortably familiar with Lucifer's cruelty.

Jack released Lucifer from his ability with betrayal heavy in his heart. He glanced over to the Winchester brothers who were laying on the floor beaten and bloody and he felt sorrow. As long as they were in this world, they would never know peace. They would never get that retirement they longed for. He glanced back to the deviant archangels who were eyeing him warily and suddenly an epiphany came to him. One that would take care of the angels hell bent on this world's destruction and finally free the Winchesters. He only hoped that the brothers would forgive him. The nephilim closed his eyes and took a deep breath in to concentrate.

"Uh, Jack, son? What are you doing?" Lucifer inquired, unsettled by his son's sudden calm. He reached out a hand towards Jack's shoulder when he felt an immovable force seize his body, seemingly squeezing from every side and unraveling his very being. His eyes shifted to where he heard a choking noise and realized Michael must be experiencing the same thing. It felt as though he was being reverted back to his original essence, before he had his own conscious.

"What…are you….doing!?" He gasped out.

Despite what his father had done, Jack turned to him almost apologetically.

"What's best for everyone." He answered simply.

Dean and Sam could only look on incredulously as the observed the scene that could only be identified as indescribable. Both archangels' forms slowly reverted from human to what looked like pure grace without a trace of either left. Silvery blue grace flowed around Jack in a circle as he turned to face the brothers.

"W-what are you doing Jack?" Sam asked a little cautiously. He felt a little ashamed for being afraid of the boy, but his sudden shift in demeanor unnerved him.

Jack slowed his approach and looked at the two men he thought of as fathers regretfully.

"Please don't hate me for this." He asked in a subdued voice, eyes tilted downward. Then his face settled into a look of determination, and when he placed a hand on Dean and Sam's head they knew no more.

Jack let a slight smile grace his lips. The fusing was going perfectly. He was grafting the archangel grace into the Winchester DNA, and as the brother's were the vessels, there was no issue with the transfusion. When the process was complete, he took a step back to observe. The results were a little unexpected, not that he really knew what to expect. Dean blended seamlessly with the angel grace, but Sam…it was incomplete. He felt a worried frown tug at his lips. He had hoped his powers would be enough to compensate for his father's depleted grace, but it was too late for regrets now. He had already transformed Sam and it was time to complete step two. He opened a rift around the two brothers, intent upon sending them to a peaceful world with little conflict. Right as he locked on to the desired location, he felt a power flux that ripped the control from him, sending the two brother's somewhere far beyond his reach. Somewhere not even his vast powers could touch.

"Jack, what have you done?" Castiel asked from where he just has regained consciousness. Jack turned around slowly with a bewildered and frightened expression.

"I- I don't know." He answered honestly. Praying to someone he knew wasn't listening that they were somewhere better, but honestly, Jack knew better.

"Talk to me Doctor, what's going on?" Nick Fury asked as he approached the scientist. Alarms blaring around them, echoing throughout the facility signaling the evacuation.

"The tesseract is misbehaving." He answered plainly.

The man with the eyepatch waited for any indication that it had been a joke, but when it became clear it wasn't, he motioned for clarification.

"She's throwing off Gamma rays-"

"I thought we prepared for this." Nick cut off the other man.

"My calculations are far form complete." He explained with a shrug while tapping on the keys off his computer.

"Where's Agent Barton?" He asked.

"The Hawk?" The scientist scoffed, jabbing a thumb over his shoulder, "Up in his nest as usual".

The archer noticed the commander motioning for him from where he was perched above the commotion. He slid down the rope to the floor.

"I gave you this detail to keep an eye on things." He chastised the agent.

"I see better from a distance." He calmly explained.

"Have you seen anything that could have set this off?" The commander asked as the approached the glowing blue object that was going out of control.

"Not from this end."

The answer stopped Nick Fury and he turned to face Agent Barton, "What do you mean?"

"Well the cube is a doorway into space, right?" the archer asked, "Well, doors open from both ends." He explained.

"Hmm, I don't think that is what this is though…" The scientist trailed off tapping against his keys furiously.

"No?" Clint asked, "Then what?"

The scientist finally pulled his eyes from his computer, "I'm picking up another high energy reading. It seems as though something else with immense power went off and somehow collided with the tesseract's power!" He rattled off excitedly, seemingly without concern for their impending doom.

"Like another Tesseract?" Fury asked doubtedly.

"Yes!...Well, no. Honestly I'm not sure." The scientist admitted. "The amount of energy is massive, however, the energy signature is different-" He paused in his ramblings and suddenly the chaos of the Tesseract settled.

"Now what?" Fury asked, turning toward the scientist.

"I'm not sure. The energy reading just quit…wait, a different one is coming through!" He shouted as the air began to buzz with static energy again before violently pulsing out in a bright light, forcing everyone to the ground.

Slowly Nick Fury peeled himself off the ground to look at was at the center of the commotion. "What the-"

"Hell?" Agent Barton finished for him. He was standing at his side, but looked unsure if he should draw his bow or not. There was a giant crater in the middle of the facility floor, and at the center of the floor were two….kids with wings?


	2. ch 2 Are We Under Attack?

CH. 2

Are We Under Attack?

Clint cautiously approached the crater with his bow carefully aimed at the potential threat. There were two winged figures. A young man who appeared to be in his late teens with vibrant white wings, and a young boy around the age of eleven with tattered black wings. The younger boy was tucked safely into the protective embrace of the elder. When it became clear that neither were moving, he turned to the commander.

"What do you want to do boss?" He asked.

"Stand down for now, but I want both of them secured until we know what they are, and what they are after." He answered, signaling to his men to collect the winged creatures. The scientist, Eric Selvig, hovered over their shoulders excitedly as the agents carefully lifted the boys, mindful of their wings, delicately extracting the younger from the elder's arms.

"I want you to run some tests to see if we can learn more about them." Eric was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't hear the order until it was repeated.

"Sorry, right." He said distractedly. Even though he felt a little conflicted to be working on kids, he would be lying if he said the scientist in him wasn't utterly fascinated by them. He could feel all the equations, theories, and possibilities buzzing around his head. Who are they? What are they? What do they want? What can they do? Needless to say his mind was distracted from the Tesseract for the time.

Dean woke up with what felt to be the killer of all hangovers. Thing is though, he didn't remember drinking, actually, he didn't think he could even get drunk anymore. "Oh, god my head." He groaned. Feeling it throb with every heartbeat, the blinding lights overhead didn't help. His back felt an extra weight that twitched as he slowly blinked himself into awareness.

"God Sammy, dim the lights would ya?" He complained. Something felt off, apart from the massive headache drilling his brains to mush. Sounded off too. Dean quickly sat upright, ignoring his head's protest of pain at the sudden altitude change. "What the hell?" His voice was a little higher…younger, and he definitely was NOT imagining the weight on his back. He noticed there was a large mirror on the white painted wall, to be honest it looked like those two-way mirrors they had in interrogation rooms, but at that point he could care less. He threw the thin white blankets off his legs and walked over to the mirror and saw a younger image of himself reflected back. He looked about seventeen, maybe eighteen years of age. He also didn't seem to have any of his previous scars or injuries. But the main shocking difference was the addition. Two startling white wings spanned out from his back. They moved freely when his conscious touched them, like another limb. He allowed them to stretch out to their full length, and even he had to admit that he was impressed. He also noted with displeasure that they took the liberty of changing his clothes to white drawstring pants. They didn't even bother with a shirt. His green eyes darted from his reflection to the side in thought. It was beginning to come back to him. Jack. Jack did something. If Dean looked like this, Sam must be in a similar position. Speaking of…where was Sam? He looked around the barren white room equipped with the bare minimum. A bathroom, a bed, a table and two chairs, but most importantly, no Sam. His cold hard glare settled back onto the two-way mirror. Somehow, he knew someone was watching from the other side, and they knew where Sam was.

"Well sir, if I can tell you anything it's that that glare doesn't belong to a kid, but a killer." Clint observed. He was rather familiar with the look. Though it wasn't the impassive stare of an assassin. No, this was a hateful, vengeful stare that promised pain. It looked odd on the youthful fair face. The boy's initial reaction, however, was rather strange. He didn't panic at being in an unfamiliar environment, but at the same time seemed utterly shocked by his own appearance. He also noticed that the large white appendages seemed to surprise the boy.

"Hey dickwads!" A rude voice disturbed him from his thoughts, "What the hell do you want! And where's Sammy!?" The youth inquired, his voice a little lower than what he pictured it would be.

Director Fury just snorted at the kid's vulgarity. "I guess that's our cue." He stated walking over to the door just next to the mirror from where they had been observing the winged teen.

Clint followed Fury in glad to be wearing his bow and gun. If his instincts were right, then this kid was dangerous.

"Please have a seat." Fury asked amiably, his hand outstretched towards the chair closest to the bed. The kid's muscles twitched as if he couldn't decide whether to sit, or to fight. In the end he plopped down in the chair looking deceptively relaxed.

"So, what does Cyclops and Robin Hood want with me and my brother?" He asked cockily, and Clint had to fight to keep the smile off his face. He kinda liked this kid.

"That's what we want to know." Fury fired back, "Middle of a secret guarded facility and you and your brother pop in uninvited. We want to know why and how."

Dean's face visibly relaxed when he heard the news of his brother, so he was here. "Believe me, I want to know that as well. I'm not sure how my brother and I got here." He stated. It was kind of true, and not true at all. He knew it had something to do with Jack. He just couldn't figure out the how or why.

Fury leveled an unbelieving stare. "You have no idea how you magically appeared here past all my expertly trained armed guards?" He deadpanned.

"That's what I'm saying." Dean shot him a patented smirk. Trying to ignore the strange buzzing he suddenly felt in his head, not painful per say, just odd.

"DEAN!" a voice shouted in his head and the smirk fell immediately, replaced by another cold hard stare. Both agents visibly tensed at the dramatic change, and Clint felt his hand twitch towards his weapon.

"DEAN!" It was Sam's voice, but it sounded much younger. If Dean had to place it, he would guess around thirteen or fourteen. It also seemed as though neither one of his interrogators could hear him. Feeling weird as hell he tried talking back in his head.

"Sammy?" He tentatively asked.

"Dean?!" The voice asked incredulously, yet relieved, "Is that you? You sound different! Did you change too? How are we talking to each other?"

"Slow down Sammy!" Dean thought, feeling a little overwhelmed, "Dude, one question at a time. Yes, I've changed. I think I'm around seventeen…maybe eighteen. You're probably four years younger than me still. I'm assuming you are newly equipped with wings and a harp as well" He could feel the pause on the other end. "Sammy?"

"Yeah, I'm still here. I'm just thinking." He answered in a pensive tone. "I think Jack did this. I think we might be angels….or something similar."

Dean's brows furrowed in confusion, and he could tell the other to men in the room were confused as hell. "What makes you think that Sam?" He asked, wondering how in the possible hell Sam could know that.

"I remember Jack using Lucifer and Michael's grace to do something to us. I'm not sure why we turned back into kids though. I wonder if it's a side effect. I don't remember their wings being visible either." Sam finished on a curious note, and by gods this was NOT the time to go all geek boy.

"Sam!" Dean scolded, "Focus! Where are you? What do you see?"

Dean could practically feel Sam blush in shame before collecting his thoughts.

"Mmm, empty white room with a large mirror…probably a two way. Two guards are standing there on the other side." He answered.

Something in Sam's answer made him freeze up. "Sam" He asked cautiously, "How did you know the number of guards behind a window you can't see through?"

He felt Sam's panicky thoughts brush against his before settling, "I don't know Dean. It's probably part of whatever Jack did. Right now, we got bigger problems!" He huffed out. Sam did have a point Dean thought to himself as his eyes returned to the men in front of him, both eyeing him warily. The buzzing in his head stopped as he realized the connection broke.

"What was that about?" Clint asked from where he was leaning on the door frame with his arms crossed. The kid just completely checked out for a couple of minutes. It almost seemed as though he was having a conversation with someone. The glazed over look was immediately gone and he leveled them with a hard stare that was way beyond his years. Like a soldier Clint mentally confirmed.

"I need to see my brother." He firmly demanded. Fury let out a sigh as though he was being patient with an unruly kid and leaned forward and clasped his hands.

"Tell you what, give us something we can work with and maybe I can work something out with your brother." Fury could tell the other boy was fiercely protective of the other, but he certainly could not have predicted the other's reaction.

Dean stood up so quickly his chair flew back and hit the wall and slammed his palms angrily down onto the table, permanently warping the metal, surprising the other two men, and quite honestly Dean himself. Clint immediately had his gun trained on the boy, but the other wasn't even looking at him.

"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way." The young man lowered his voice to a threatening growl.

"What's the easy way?" Fury asked, humoring the youth. Not allowing his intimidation to show.

"You bring me to my brother, no harm no foul." He stated.

"And the hard way?" Fury pressed, and a viscous smirk painted on the young man's face, and he didn't seem so angelic then.

"Then I tear this whole place apart and anyone in it who keeps me from my brother." He growled out, words dripping in promise, wings fanning out threatingly behind him.

A chill ran down the archer's back, and he didn't spook easy. This went far beyond protective, but he couldn't find it in him to doubt the young man's words. He glanced at the dented table and then over to Fury. They didn't have the facilities here to hold someone of this kid's strength here, and Fury knew it too. Which is precisely why he acquiesced under the false pretense of showing good faith. The kid nodded his head sharply before making to follow Nick Fury though the door. His wings folded tightly against his back. Clint trailing behind, his weapons within easy reach. He didn't feel comfortable showing this kid his back.

Dean made sure to scope and memorize every corridor they went through, though he was quickly realizing that every door was secured with a high level of technological security even he couldn't crack. Not allowing himself to become dismayed he trailed on till they stopped in front of his brother's door. Noting with unease that it was guarded by two personnel, just like his brother had said.

"Open it." Nick Fury commanded, and as soon as they armed personnel opened the door, Dean was shouldering his way past the guards and into the room. His little brother was sitting on the bed similarly dressed. Two battered looking black wings behind him. His head was down with his chestnut hair flopping over his eyes. Dean felt his concern grow when Sam didn't hear the door open.

"Sammy." He didn't even register that he whispered the words before his brother's head snapped up.

"Dean!" He shouted, quickly hopping off the bed to walk over to his brother who promptly gathered him into his arms. To hell with chick flick moments, his little brother was now literally a foot shorter than him again. He pulled back when he heard his brother's squeak of protest and kept him at arm's length to assess for injuries. He noticed that he correctly placed Sam's age as he looked identical to how he did when he was thirteen. He gripped his brother's arms under the elbows when his careful eyes picked up track marks in the creases.

"Well, what do you think?" Fury asked the archer as they both observed the scene.

"I think the kid is good." Barter stated. Further elaborating at Nick Fury's confused look. "Kid asked questions that only demanded information that he wanted without revealing anything about himself. While we were walking here, I noticed he was mapping out the facility and any possible exits. I would say this kid has to be militarily trained."

"Well, that is unsettling. You think they are some kind of military experiment?"

"Don't know. But what I see right now is a big brother concerned for his little brother's being." Clint answered almost wistfully. Watching as the elder, he heard addressed as Dean, run frantic hands over the smaller boy before settling at his elbows.

"What did you do to him?" Dean bit out. Quietly at first before repeating himself in a harsh shout.

"What did you do to my little brother!?" He promptly let go of Sam and menacingly approached the dark-skinned man. The older teen's broad shoulder's tense with ire.

"Relax, we only took a few blood samples, nothing more. We took a few from you as well." A new voice addressed.

Dean glanced over to see an older fellow dressed in plaid walk behind Fury, handing him a chart.

"My name is Eric Selvig, I am a scientist here." He introduced.

Dean felt a frown tug at his lips as he observed the creases of his own arms, but there wasn't even a trace of any track marks.

"You healed almost instantaneously. Quite honestly I don't think I have ever seen anything quite like it." He answered for him, almost like he read his mind.

Dean felt his brows furrow before glancing back to his brother.

"Then why didn't Sam…" He trailed off. The scientist's eyes crinkled in sympathy.

"That's what we were hoping you would tell us." He answered.

"Dean…maybe when Jack transformed me something happened." His little brother's voice paused, "Maybe I'm broken." He added weakly, painfully reminding him of all the times Sam had a problem he couldn't fix.

Dean turned angrily to his little brother, his wings flared out with his temper. "You're not broken Sam!" He shouted, the lights flickering at his voice.

Clint brows shot up to his hairline.

"Telepathy! Incredible!" Eric muttered amazed, tearing the clip board from Fury to furiously write down notes.

Sam shot Dean a pissy look, "Way to go Dean! Why do you think I was talking in my head!" He chastised his older brother.

"Well, if you weren't saying such stupid things, I wouldn't have said anything." The elder defended, unrepentant.

Clint was surprised. The youth named Dean seemed very cautious with revealing information, but it was clear his little brother was a weak spot, causing his emotions to cloud his judgment.

Nick Fury cleared his throat to regain the room's attention amidst the banter. "Now that I have your attention." He addressed the room and Dean shifted his body protectively in front of the younger, "I would like to know why and how you guys showed up here."

Sam shifted from around his older brother's body, ignoring Dean's warning, "Sam". He wanted to stand in front of them, but Dean's arm swiftly grabbed his brother around his narrow shoulders and crushed him against his side. Sam let out an irritated huff, but it was clear that Dean wasn't about to let him go any closer to the government agents. Sam cursed his now smaller stature and wiggled against the uncomfortable pressure placed on his sensitive wings. Thankfully Dean took mercy upon his brother and let up his grip ever so slightly.

"Look, we don't know how we got here either. Honest. We just want to go home." Sam pleaded. Turning his puppy dog eyes imploringly towards the agents from underneath his bangs.

Either the kid was an excellent liar, or he was telling the truth. Nick Fury let out a sigh and sat down at the table, both sets of young eyes tracking him professionally, Clint noted.

"Be that as it may, we can't let you leave until we figure out what's going on." He stated reasonably. Dean snorted his obvious disapproval.

"That's bullshit! Me and my brother aren't staying here to be lab rats for a bunch of government wackjobs!" He exclaimed. He stopped cold mid rant when he heard his brother whimper and he looked down to see Sam clutching his head in his hands. His smaller body pushing back instinctively to seek his brother's comfort.

"Sammy?" He softly asked.

"My head!" Sam whimpered out. His legs going out with a cry. He would have collapsed to the ground had his older brother not caught him. Dean slowly lowered both of them to the ground as he let his brother ride whatever the hell it was in his arms.

"Stay back!" Dean barked out as the agents tried to approach the brothers. His wings flared out in warning.

"I might be able to help; your brother is clearly in pain." Eric calmly stated, his palms up as if he were approaching a wild animal. Dean's glare didn't let up, and the scientist ceased his approach. Instinctively not daring to come any closer. He finally allowed his gaze to slip from the potential threats when he felt Sam stir.

"Sammy?" He whispered against his brother's head. Careful not to jostle him. His brother blearily opened his hazel eyes, but he wasn't looking at Dean, but Nick Fury.

"Someone is coming." He whispered out conspiratorially, and Dean tensed when the dark-skinned man with the eyepatch approached his brother and crouched down to their level.

"Who?" He asked in a no-nonsense tone. No doubt in his words. Sam shook his head in confusion.

"I don't know, they aren't from here. He is coming for a glowing blue box." Sam tried to relay what he had just seen in his head, "He does something to your friends, and they turn on you." Sam slowly blinks a few more times before falling unconscious, head dropping heavily on his brother's shoulder.

"Fascinating!" The scientist blurted out dropping to his knees next to Fury for a closer look. Dean legitimately growled as he shifted his brother closer in his arms.

When it became clear Sam wouldn't say anymore Nick Fury allowed his eye to drift to the older.

"Want to explain to me what in the hell that was." He asked, but it wasn't really stated as a question.

"Not really." Dean bit out. Not enjoying feeling like a little boy being scolded by his father, and the sentiment unnerved him. With a look of determination, he gathered his brother in his arms and stood up, walking towards the door before Clint shifted in front of him, blocking his exit.

"No hard feelings kid." Was the only explanation he received as the archer crossed his arms with an impassive expression.

"And where do you think your going?" Fury asked. Dean glared hard at the blond man in front of him, but the agent made no move to allow him by. He redirected his glare to the man behind him.

"Listen, me and my brother have no clue how we got here, we aren't going cause any trouble and we will be out of your hair,…or shiny bald head, as soon as you let us!" Dean said in exasperation.

"You might be done with us, but we aren't done with you. And I'm rather interested in what your brother just said." Fury coolly stated gesturing to the now unconscious younger boy in Dean's arms.

"The hell you are!" Dean growled out. As his fury built, he felt the odd sensation of pressure that begged to be let out build up within his chest. Sensing the shift in atmosphere Clint readied his gun, but it was too late. Dean's eyes glowed blue as he released the pressure and the force drove everyone to the ground before they had a chance to fire, smashing all the lights, darkening the blaring white room.

"Holy shit!" Dean shouted, surprised at what had just transpired. When he heard the shifting of bodies coming back to conscious, he stepped over the bodies on the floor towards the door and took off with Sam.

"Right, contemplation of freaky powers later, saving our assess now!" He rambled to himself as he sprinted down the halls, avoiding every corridor that contained a door he knew he could never open. It wasn't long before he heard the tromping of feet behind him, but he was surprised by how fast he could sprint while carrying his brother. He chanced a look behind himself and saw the troops fall behind. He let a grin split his face as he ran on, adjusting his brother in his arms. When he was headed off the other end of the corridor, he leaped over the side rail to hop down to the level below. Praising he didn't know who that his wings were actually functional as he gracefully flew down. Those praises ended as quickly as they began when he realized that they were completely surrounded. Dean made towards where he assumed would be the weakest link, before an authoritative voice caused him to freeze.

"Stop!" Fury shouted, the other agents parting as he made his way with Clint to the center. "You have nowhere to go." He pointed out gesturing to all the troops with their weapons out and drawn on him and his brother. "Let's not do anything irrational."

Dean looked around and felt the panic begin to settle in. There were over two hundred armed military personnel and all the exits were sealed. He clutched Sam closer to his frantically beating heart and looked down to his face when he heard his little brother groan.

"Dean? What's going on?" He moaned out. Slowly taking in the scene around him. Dean simply held him even tighter. Wishing he could be anywhere else, wishing that for once he could actually protect this brother.

"Sam, I'm sorry-" He began to apologize when he felt a shift around him in the air. And suddenly he was no longer in the government facility, but in an open field, clutching his equally bewildered brother in his arms.

"What the hell!" Dean shouted out into the open air, just to have it echo back to him.


	3. Ch 3 Assimilation

CH 3

Nick Fury wasn't sure what to think when the boys disappeared as suddenly as they arrived, albeit with less thunder and lightning. One moment they had the boys cornered, the elder holding the younger to his chest as he desperately looked around for an exit, the next they vanished without a trace. Leaving many of his men slack jawed in awe.

"I want men scouring this facility! They may still be here." Fury ordered even though he had a feeling they were long gone as far away as possible.

"Sir?" Clint asked, his tone making It clear that the archer was along the same line of thought.

"We need to cover all our bases. I want those boys found. There is no telling how dangerous they might be." Fury clarified.

Clint nodded his head curtly.

"I'll put some feelers out. I think boys with wings are likely to blip on someone's radar."

"Let's see to it that we find them first." The dark-skinned man stressed before walking away.

"What's going on in here!?" The commander shouted over the noise over raw energy whipping around uncontrollably. When Nick Fury went to check on the Tesseract to check on Eric's progress, the room was in a similar state of chaos as it was just before the two, winged youths appeared.

The scientist simply shrugged, himself bewildered.

"I don't know, she just started misbehaving again!" Eric shouted back.

Fury brought his radio transceiver to his mouth. "Agent Barton, I need you in the lab. We have a problem."

Agent Barton arrived swiftly, pausing to observe the chaotic scene with an analytical eye before regaining his step.

"You think this is the kids again?" Clint asked aloud.

"Actually…" the scientist interrupted.

"What?" Fury motioned for the older man to continue.

"You know that thing Clint said about doors earlier-" He let the sentence hang. Before either one of the other men could respond, the tesseract shot out a pulse of blue energy that opened a portal before it, allowing a sinister figure dressed in bizarre clothes, black hair slicked back, and holding a scepter in hand to appear.

"Someone comes." A soft voice appeared in Fury's head as he recalled what the youth named Sam had stated earlier.

"Sir" Fury addressed the stranger, bringing his attention back to the situation at hand. "Please put down the sphere!" he commanded.

The order went unheeded as the raven-haired man thrust his arm out, shooting a bolt of energy at Fury. Before it could connect, Clint swiftly tackled him out of harm's way, immediately opening fire upon the now identified hostile threat. Unfortunately, it seemed as though bullets were ineffective as the threat took out the team of trained agents with ease, Impervious to their weapons. It was obvious that the man wasn't a normal human.

Clint went to reach for his gun that fell to the floor during the skirmish and felt an iron grip clamp around his wrist. Clint looked over to see the enemy look intently into his eyes with childish amusement.

"You have heart." The raven stated approvingly, bringing the pointed end of his scepter to Clint's chest. Clint felt his will being taken over, his body going still after holstering his weapon in forced obedience.

Fury watched the scene from where he was crouched, Sam's words playing in his head "He does something to your friends, and they turn on you." "He's after a blue box." The last phrase startling Fury into action. The boy predicted this! But at least now Fury knew what the hostile was after. He quickly packed the tesseract into a case while the raven-haired man was turning the rest of his men.

"Please don't." The enemy's voiced stopped him as he was escaping. "I still need that."

The enemy addressed himself as Loki, an Asgardian. The commander knew they were unequipped to deal with such a powerful force, so he did the only thing that he could, stall for time. Unfortunately, he couldn't fool his brilliant former agent.

"Sir, director Fury is stalling." Clint stoically stated as he approached Loki. "This place is about to blow. He means to bury us."

"He's right" Eric, who had also been turned, chipped in. "We have maybe two minutes before this thing goes critical."

"Well then." Loki stated, looking over to Clint who immediately shot Fury. The agent picked up the case holding the tesseract as they made their way out of the building before the collapse.

When Fury regained conscious it was too late, he had caught up to Loki once, before the demi god shot down his helicopter and escaped, leaving with the most powerful object on Earth.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

Dean looked around the empty field for signs of…well, anything really. The tall wheat grass swished around his legs with the breeze. At least it wasn't cold despite it being dark out and the moon provided enough light to see.

"Dean?" Sam's voice startled him from his thoughts. "Where are we?" he asked as his wide hazel eyes glanced around the empty grassland.

"Sam, are you ok?" Dean asked worriedly. His green eyes looked over his younger brother who looked a little ruffled, but other than that, looked no worse for the wear.

"I'm fine Dean, "he answered a little tiredly, "let me down."

Dean reluctantly let his brother slip down from his arms and watched as Sam's nose crinkled when his bare feet touched the grass. Dean had to hold back a smirk when he noticed the grass reached his little brother chest.

"Would it have killed them to give us shoes!" Sam complained, "Or a shirt!" he added as he scratched at his chest and arms where the abrasive plants were rubbing against his skin. Surprisingly, the grass didn't bother Dean very much.

"You will just have to deal with it princess." Dean said with a smirk. Sam let out a huff of irritation.

"Well, now what? We in the middle of nowhere, but it's not like we can even go into town with the wings on our backs!" Sam pointed out. His tattered wings snapping out as if echoing his irritation.

Dean felt himself frown and he turned his head to look back at his own blaring white wings. Sam was right, they couldn't go anywhere with people around as long as they had wings. They would either shoot him and his brother, or turn them into zoo exhibits, and neither prospect sounded pleasant to the hunter.

"Cas and the other angels didn't always have wings." Dean recalled. Sam rolled his eyes.

"I think it's pretty clear that we are different than the angels from our world Dean." He said in a patronizing tone he used whenever he thought his older brother said something stupid.

Dean let out a frustrated sigh and faced his younger brother, "Just go with me on this, ok Sam?" His little brother clenched his jaw stubbornly and looked away but didn't offer any more protest. Dean was a little surprised with how juvenile his brother, who was usually the calm and collected one, was acting. Maybe Sam didn't just regress in age, but emotion as well. Dean let out another sigh and closed his eyes, focusing on his wings. They reacted much like any of his other limbs did, and it wasn't hard to control them. He let them stretch out as far as they could go, relishing in the pleasant tingle of the stretched muscles of his wings and back. He then pictured them folding and receding into his back.

"What the hell!" Sammy's voice exclaimed in awe as he witnessed his brother's wings shrink and morph into his back until there was nothing left but smooth skin.

Dean opened his eyes when he felt Sam's warm hands on his back where his wings used to be and looked over his shoulder with a proud smirk. It was a weird sensation. Even though he could visibly see his wings were gone, he could still feel their presence underneath his skin. Not altogether unpleasant, just strange.

"Well, would ya look at that Sammy!" He exclaimed with a hoot, turning around to face his brother who had a small smile of his own, amused at his brother's enthusiasm. "Now it's your turn."

Sam nodded his head and closed his eyes in concentration, he was excited to try it as well. "Nothing's happening." He said after a few minutes in a disappointed voice.

"Focus on your wings, try to stretch them out." Dean coached.

His brother's dark wings shakily fanned out, trembling when they reached their full span. "It's hard." His little brother's voice complained, sounding strained with exertion. Dean felt a frown on his lips. It was as easy as breathing for him.

"It's ok, now as you're folding them try to visualize them receding into your back just like mine did."

Sam tried to do as his brother instructed and focused on folding his wings. It felt as though they were moving through water, or mud. He felt his wings come to rest against his back once again, but they would go no further. No matter how hard he focused, his wings would not do as he wanted. Sam felt tears of frustration burn in the corners of his eyes and cursed his adolescent emotions that seemed to be as difficult to control as his wings.

"…I can't" Sam's voice was raw with emotion. He opened his wet eyes and looked up to his older brother in despair. Dean reached forward to cup his little brother's face with both hands, using his thumb to wipe away a traitorous tear.

"It's ok Sammy, we will figure it out." Dean comforted, but internally he panicked. He would have to hide Sam somewhere when he went into town, and he hated the idea of leaving his little brother alone, especially with whatever was going on with him. Eventually Sam pulled away with a sniff, hastily rubbing at his red eyes, erasing the evidence of his tears. He was embarrassed that he so easily let his emotions get the best of him.

"We should probably look for town." Sam said a little more collected.

"Sure kiddo." Dean said as he affectionately ruffled the shorter boy's unruly hair.

When They found a sign that led to a small town named Jamestown. Dean felt himself snort at the unoriginal name. "Of course, it is." He muttered under his breath. He glanced around for a place to hide Sam and gripped his brother's slender arm and lead him over to a collection of pine trees near the entrance of town for him to hide behind.

"Sam, stay here. Don't let anyone find you. If they do or something happens, use that telathingy you did earlier." Dean instructed.

"It's telepathy Dean." Sam corrected as he rolled his eyes. A teenage habit Dean was beginning to find very irritating.

"Whatever, just. Stay. put." He said with a finger pointed at his brother's chest for emphasis.

"Fine!" Sam huffed out in exasperation. His older brother held his eyes for a minute before heading off to probably steal some cash and clothes for them. Sam felt a headache coming on in worry.

"This is going to end well." He grumbled to himself as he crouched down in the needled and waited for his brother.

Dean stealthily slipped into people's yards thanking he didn't know who that some people still hung out their laundry to dry. Unfortunately, most people brought their laundry in during the day, so it was slim pickings. He managed to find a pair of dark blue jeans with legs long enough to fit him and a red flannel shirt for himself. He snickered when he came the wardrobe of some hipster preteen, he snatched a pair of black skinny jeans and a purple grumpy cat t-shit, and he actually had to put a hand over his mouth to prevent a laugh from escaping when he pictured his brother's reaction. After locating some under things like socks and underwear, he grimaced at the thought of them being on someone else's body, he selected a house with no garage or vehicles, carefully scoping for evidence that someone was home. He didn't want to traumatize anyone after all…or get shot.

Dean tested the window of a small ranch style home, which easily lifted. Apparently, whoever lived there felt safe enough to not lock their windows. Dean made quick work of scoping the house for useful items: a duffle bag, pair of shoes for himself, a couple hundred dollars someone stashed in their dresser drawer, and a handgun with a clip and bullets.

"Jackpot!" He silently exclaimed under his breath. He swiftly went over the house one more time to cover his tracks before slipping back through the window.

When Dean arrived at a shady motel, he dressed in his pilfered outfit before checking out a room for a few days for him and Sam. The manager looked at him suspiciously, probably wondering why a teenager was buying a room on a school night, but silently handed him a key anyway.

"I don't want no trouble now, ya hear?" He stated, a warning in the southern drawl. Dean snorted when he realized the manger thought he was a delinquent.

"Will do boss." The hunter said with a smile and a wink, feeling the manager's suspicious eyes follow him through the door. He would have to be careful if that manager started snooping around. He opened the door to the room he had rented and threw the duffle bag on the bed closest to the door. He was glad that the manager hadn't questioned him getting two queens, he didn't need Sam's wings getting in his face. Looking around the room he noticed it was rather decent for being a crappy motel. "Now to grab Sam." He thought to himself.

Sam almost felt like jumping up and down for joy when he realized his older brother was returning. He paused in his jovial thoughts when he also realized that he couldn't hear or see his brother yet…so how did he know he was arriving. Sure enough his older brother appeared a few minutes later dressed in new clothes with a cocky grin on his face which quickly fell when he noticed his little brother's pale expression.

"Sammy, what's wrong?" Dean asked, a hand coming to rest on his brother's shoulder. Worried hazel eyes looked up at him.

"I knew you were coming." Sam said in a whisper. Dean almost scoffed.

"Of course I was coming back-"

"No, I mean, I could feel you arriving before you were here." Sam interrupted urgently. Dean's brows furrowed in confusion before a look of panicked realization crossed his face. Disappearing as quickly as it arrived before his little brother could see it.

"Probably doesn't mean anything." He lied. "Come on, I got us a room. Should last us a few days while a find a way to make more money." He tugged on his brother's arm to get him to follow, pausing when he felt resistance.

"Sam?" He looked back at his brother who was staring longingly at his feet.

"Did you get shoes for me too?" The same longing in his voice as was in his eyes. Dean winced guiltily when he looked down at Sam's feet that looked red and raw.

"Sorry Sammy, I only found this pair, and they won't fit you." Dean felt as though someone shot him when he saw Sam's expression fall. The older brother silently turned around and crouched on the ground, offering his brother his back.

"Dean what are you-"Sam asked incredulously.

"Shut up and get on!" Dean grouched. His little brother went silent behind him and Dean realized the little geek was probably struggling with his pride and his desire to get off his sore feet. Apparently, the temptation of relief won out as he felt his little brother's weight fall against his back and Sam's slender arms come around his neck.

"You never speak of this again." Sam warned against his neck, and Dean had to fight against the smile that threatened to surface.

"Whatever princess." Dean dismissed as he stood up while adjusting his grip on his brother.

By the time they reached their room at the shady motel, Sam was fast asleep against his brother's back, not even awaking when Dean gingerly laid him down on the bed farthest from the door. He glanced down worriedly at his little brother's face, concerned with how exhausted and pale Sam was. Sam's chest was covered in rashes from where the grass had irritated his skin and his wings were a dull black. Dean sat on the foot of the bed and frowned when he assessed the state of his little brother's feet. They were covered in cuts and blisters, some of them still seeping. They had walked a few miles to get to town, but Dean's own feet were unblemished. The older brother ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Something was wrong with Sam. He couldn't control his wings, he didn't heal, and his seemed to have his freaky powers back. Whatever Jack did to them…it didn't seem to take with Sam. Dean shifted over to the head of the bed and rested a hand against Sam's forehead, a habit formed from years of taking care of his little brother when the younger was sick. He was surprised when he realized he could feel his brother's essence. Dean's brows furrowed, maybe he could figure out exactly what was wrong with Sam. He closed his eyes and focused. He could feel the angelic presence that thrummed through his brother's body, but it was weak, like a thready pulse. It was starting to make sense to Dean. Michael was full of grace when he was used to transform Dean, whereas Lucifer was almost completely drained. Suddenly an idea popped into the hunter's head. An incredibly stupid but amazing idea.

Sam woke up feeling refreshed, better than he had in a long time even, and when he saw his brother hovering over him with a self-satisfied smile and eyes holding relief, he couldn't help the panicked suspicion that flooded he veins whenever Dean did something incredibly stupid.

"Dean, what did you do?" He asked, eyes narrowed suspiciously. Dean looked almost offended.

"What?" He asked defensively.

"…Dean."

"Yeah ok, I did something. You're welcome by the way." Dean finally relented, and Sam felt his heart skip painfully. When Dean saw his bother's face, eyes widened in fear he quickly amended.

"Don't worry. I didn't do anything harmful…I don't think."

Sam's eyes went from fearful to suspicious again.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sam asked petulantly as he crossed his arms. Dean just smirked.

"It's better if I show you."

Dean looked around for a chair and quickly pulled it over so that he could directly sit across from Sam who was currently staring at his brother in concern. Dean just stared intently back.

"Remember how Cass borrowed grace from others when he lost his?" Dean asked.

"…Yeah?" Sam's voice going up at the end of his answer in confusion.

"Well, I kinda ran an angel diagnostic-"

"-angel WHAT?!" Sam interrupted incredulously.

"Shut up for a second Sam." When no more interruption came, he continued. "As I was saying, turns out we are more like the angels back home than we originally thought. Unfortunately, it seems as though you were transformed with depleted grace. So, I got to thinking that maybe if I gave you some of mine-" Dean let the sentence hang for Sam's inference. It was actually rather amusing to watch all of the expressions cross his little brother's face. First confusion, then realization, then anger, then back to confusion.

"…but you need an angel blade to access an angel's grace?" Sam pondered aloud. Looking even more confused.

Dean let a triumphant smirk cross his face as he reached out with his hand and turned his palm towards the ceiling. Sam couldn't withhold his quiet, "What the hell?" as a wicked looking blade suddenly materialized within Dean's upturned palm. Sam's wide eyes snapped up from the blade to meet his brother's, which looked annoyingly smug.

"Like I said, we are a lot more similar than we originally thought."

Sam looked back to the blade. It didn't look anything like an angel blade. More like a middle age's short sword. Lean and elegant.

"What about you? Are you okay, cause I don't want to get better if you're sacrificing your own health." Sam asked, looking intently into his brother's eyes to spot if he would lie. Dean let out an amused snort.

"Dude, no. One, I don't think your body could handle it if I gave you too much….it be like an overdose of angel grace. And two, I can't look out for you if I'm in the same crappy shape."

Sam let out an irritated huff before falling still.

"Sam?" Dean asked worriedly before Sam looked excitedly up.

"How did you make the blade materialize?"

Dean snorted again. Of course, his brother would be interested in that, the geek.

"It just sort of appeared when I was thinking about how the angels from our world materialized their weapons. So, just think about it I guess?" Dean ended the unhelpful statement as a question.

Sam rolled his eyes at Dean's incredibly vague answer before closing his eyes to concentrate. He did as Dean said and focused on how Cas's blade would materialize, and soon enough he felt a weight in his palm. Sam opened his eyes. A medieval dagger with a curved blade sat in his hand. He glanced back up to Dean who looked proud, which of course made Sam feel proud as well.

"Now if only I could get rid of these." Sam complained as he looked back. Surprised to find, instead of tattered wings, two sleek raven black wings that when the light reflected off, had a deep purple undertone. He secretly hoped Dean didn't notice the color scheme, lest he be teased relentlessly.

"Just try it. You might be able to now." Dean encouraged.

Sam gave a doubtful glance to his brother but tried, nonetheless. When he focused on his wings, they were a lot more responsive, and it didn't feel like they were dragging through a viscous substance this time. He pulled them close to his body, feeling them slowly shift back inside of him. He didn't even realize he closed his eyes again until they snapped back open when he heard Dean's cheerful cry. Startled by the noise his wings immediately snapped back open and Sam gave a vicious glare to his brother.

"Oops." He apologized with a sheepish grin.

Sam let out a frustrated groan and flopped back against the bed, wincing when it jarred his wings.

"Why is it so much harder for me than for you!?" Sam yelled out to the room. He felt the bed depress when his brother sat next to him.

"Hey, it's gonna take some practice, ok?" He gently encouraged. "Till then though, I don't want you leaving this room. OK?"

Sam glared at his brother, unhappy with the order. Dean only glared back until Sam shifted his eyes as he reluctantly acquiesced.

"Whatever." Sam sighed out.

"Atta boy Sammy!" Dean praised, playfully slapping his brother's knee as he stood up.

"Where are you going?" Sam asked when he noticed his brother putting on his stolen shoes to leave.

"I went out while you were sleeping, and I stopped in at the local mechanic. I managed to get a job."

Sam frowned in contemplation, "We don't have any of our fake papers here. You're telling me this guy hired a kid with no ID?"

Dean let a cocky smirk cross his face. "I said that I escaped with my little brother from an abusive home and I needed some cash. He agreed to pay me under the table."

"Unfreakinbelievable." Sam muttered, crossing his arms disapprovingly.

Dean's smile only widened, before changing to a more serious expression. "I got some food for you in the fridge, so I expect you to stay here ok? Don't open the door for anyone. I don't care if they claim to be girl scouts selling cookies." "Ok Sam?" He repeated more sternly when he didn't hear a response.

"Fine, I got it! Just go!" Sam relented as he hopped of the bed and pushed his older brother towards the door.

"Ok. I will see you later tonight then flying purple people eater!" Dean teased as he ruffled his brother's hair. Laughing out the door at his younger sibling's annoyed growl. Of course, Dean noticed his wings unique coloring. He glared accusingly back at the offending appendages when he felt them flutter in response. Sam then looked discouragingly around the room as he realized he didn't even have a laptop to do research.

"Looks like it's eight hours of crap tv for me." He complained to the empty room.


	4. Chapter 4 Settling Into Old Roles

CH 4

Tony Stark was not surprised to see Captain America as well as Dr. Bruce Banner aboard the S.H.E.I.L.D Helicarrier. Afterall, he had been aware of the prospected Avengers members for quite some time. What he didn't expect, was what their first mission was to be. They were observing the holographic monitors while Fury began to detail their mission, but instead of images of the tesseract, or Loki, a surveillance video of Two winged youths in sealed interrogation rooms streamed. The taller youth was pacing agitatedly within the room, his startling white wings flaring out with the rise of his temper, whereas the younger was sitting solemnly on the bed with his head down, wings drooping down pathetically behind him. If the morose scene wasn't so depressing Steve would have found it more humorous how their wings seemed to mirror their affect.

"What the…" The doctor muttered to himself quietly one arm crossed over his chest, supporting the other which was thoughtfully stroking his chin in intrigue.

"Just hours before the Tesseract was taken by the demi god Loki, these two apparated inside the facility where we were holding it. We learned that they are brothers, the older one is named Dean and the younger is Sam. We don't know their last names at this time or where they came from. They vanished soon after their short appearance without leaving a trace, although we were able to get a few blood samples from them." Fury informed the group, each individual expression in response slightly different from each other, ranging from neutral, intrigued, suspicious and confused.

Steve's brows furrowed. "Are you saying these kids assisted Loki with the theft?" he asked gesturing towards the screen.

"Although we do not know for certain, we do not believe that these two had anything to do with Loki's theft of the tesseract." An agent woman named Maria Hill interjected. She was a tall slender woman with her hair up in a tight bun. A serious countenance on her attractive features.

"We need to find these two as quickly as possible. They seem to have multiple abilities and could be a danger to themselves and others." Fury stated. "And although we don't know if these two are in correlation with the tesseract theft, we also don't want to take that risk if they are."

"And how exactly do you want us to find them?" Bruce asked, hardly looking from the screen.

"That's where you come in doctor." Fury said as he clicked over to the next slide. It was the picture of DNA with silvery blue winding around the ladders of the double helix.

"Whatever it is, it looks like it's woven into the DNA." Bruce said as he slipped on his glasses for a better look.

"We want you to try to separate that substance from the DNA, see if you can figure out exactly what it is." The director instructed. "Agent Romanoff will show you to the lab." Natasha nodded her confirmation of the order.

"I'll see what I can do," Bruce said as he tucked his glasses back into his shirt pocket. "But I've never seen this before. Honestly, it doesn't look like something from this planet."

"Alright." Fury then turned to the Captain and Stark. "As soon as we get a location on the kids, I want you and the Captain to head out to collect them and bring them back here. They seem to be able to teleport, so hopefully the good doctor will find a way to incapacitate them if necessary, but we are hoping it won't come to that."

"Explain to me again why you are sending us after a couple of kids when one of the most powerful objects in the universe is currently in the hands of a psychotic deranged demi god with an overdeveloped sense of self-importance and a desire to subdue the human race?" Stark asked, his voice not sparing any sarcasm.

Steve shifted as he crossed his arms over his muscled chest, his body language relaying his own discomfort with the idea. "Got to say, this doesn't seem like it should be the priority at the moment." Voicing his own concerns.

Nick Fury simply swiped over to the next slide, the streaming video showed the younger boy collapsing in the elder's arms, clutching his head. "Moments before Loki's arrival, the younger one, Sam, collapsed with a headache, he then forewarned me of Loki's arrival as well as his intentions. Unfortunately, with the commotion during their disappearance the warning slipped my mind, but-"

"You're hoping to use this kid's ability to locate Loki and the Tesseract." Steve finished for him.

"If what your saying is true, then we could figure out what Loki's scheme is. We could maybe get a step ahead of him." Bruce interposed epiphanically.

"So, we're using kids now, is that what we're saying?" Tony inquired sharply; his bearded jaw clenched. He never liked the idea of bringing kids into war, and Fury's interest in the kids made him suspicious.

The director let out a controlled breath before looking back towards the screen. "When the world is at stake, I don't think we have a choice."

"And you, Mr. Righteous? Are you cool with this?" Tony asked, turning towards Steve.

The Captain paused for a moment, looking conflicted, before addressing his opinion. "I think that we should at least find them for now. If we're looking for them, there is a chance that others are looking for them too."

"Great, just so we're on the same page." Tony scoffed sarcastically before turning on his heel and walking away.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

"Did you take your medicine squirt?" Dean's voice called over from the small kitchenette where he was preparing their breakfast for the morning. Sam felt his eyes roll back. Seriously, Dean was taking the whole de-aging thing a little too seriously, and he never missed an opportunity to remind Sam that he was once again the shorter of the two.

"You do realize I'm not actually thirteen Dean, right?" Sam snapped from behind the countertop where he was sitting on a stool. He was getting a little irritated with how comfortable his older brother was with falling back into old childhood roles. Dean simply turned around and gave his brother a knowing glare.

"So, no then." Dean stated matter-of-factly, his arms crossed in disapproval. Taking his brother's guilty silence as confirmation he stepped away from the stove and went into the bathroom to grab a small glass vial from the medicine cabinet.

Sam clenched his jaw tight to avoid retorting in colorful language as his brother came back with a little glass vial filled with grace before stepping back over to the stove to flip their eggs. Dean found a set of ten of the glass vials at the local thrift store when he was shopping for clothes for him and Sam. Dean figured they must have been part of some kid's science project. Luckily for Sam, because of Dean's grace he could now revert his wings back with ease, allowing him to wear shirts again.

Despite all his fussing Sam was grateful to his brother for both the grace and the income. He knew his brother worked long hours at the garage for them. Once the owner realized how adapt Dean was with mechanics, he practically had Dean working overtime, which was great for their finances but bad for Sam as his older brother was still reluctant to let him go outside by himself and he was beginning to climb the walls, there was really only so much crap t.v. Sam could take.

"I'm thinking of heading out to the library while you're at work." Sam was tempted to cross his fingers as he said it, and predictably Dean took a deep breath in, preparing himself for another argument. Dean was beginning to understand what their dad felt like before he left on a hunt.

"Sam, I don't think that's a good idea." Dean said with a false calm as he flipped the eggs and sausages onto two plates, setting one before his little brother who was currently glaring daggers at him.

"And why the hell not!?" Sam argued. Dean took in another deep breath before letting the air escape through his nostrils in an aggravated huff. He patience wearing thin with the recycled arguments.

"Because, we got the men in black after us and we still don't understand what's been going on with your psychic stuff!"

Sam opened his mouth again to argue. "Dean, it's been two weeks already. I can hide my wings now, I haven't had a vision since we were imprisoned in that weird facility and the library is only five blocks away." Sam winced as he realized he was whining by the end of his tirade.

"Sam I get that I really do, but-" Dean began before stopping his sentence abruptly. Sam looked up curiously from his breakfast to his older brother whose expression was set in a hard glare.

"What!?" Sam snapped out defensively. He wasn't sure what he did, but that was definitely a "Sammy is in trouble" kind of glare. Damn his brother for making him feel all of six years old again.

"How did you know how far the library was?" He asked coldly and his eyes narrowed when he saw his little brother flinch guiltily and looked back down to his cooling plate as if it were the most interesting thing in the world. "Sam!?" He barked out when he didn't get a response.

"I checked it out yesterday when you were out." He said with a half-hearted shrug as if it were no big deal, the fact that he said that to his plate instead of his brother gave away his guilt. As if sensing his brother's growing ire, he quickly added. "I made sure there was no one around, nobody saw me Dean, I swear!" finally looking up at Dean who did not look at all placated.

"Or so you think Sam! How could you be so careless! What if you got one of your premonitions while I was away!?" Dean shouted, concern buried beneath the more easily expressed emotion of anger.

"I'm sorry Dean, I am. I'm just so bored and you're gone all day working, I've already cleaned the place top to bottom, and I can't even do research here." Sam was aware that he was whining again, but at that point he no longer cared. He saw the guilt in his brother's eyes at his admission and was hopeful he would give in. His older brother ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"I'm sorry Sam, but no." Dean really did sound apologetic, but there was an edge to his tone that booked no room for argument. Sam felt his hopes drop and angerly shoved his plate away.

"Whatever." He moodily bit out. Feeling ever bit of his age of thirteen in that moment. Dean simply pushed his plate back with that same parental look that their father always gave but Dean perfected. Sam held his brother's stare for a couple of minutes before reluctantly stabbing his eggs with more force than necessary and shoving them into his mouth. The two ate in a tense silence and Dean knew that nothing was really resolved. When his brother was finished with his breakfast Dean pushed the vial of grace closer to his brother, ignoring the annoyed look Sam shot him as he popped the top off and tipped the ethereal contents back into his mouth. It was always a bizarre sensation, having something that was neither solid nor liquid in his mouth. But it was warm, flowing, and had an odd weight to it, and strangely enough it tasted like home and safety to him. Almost immediately he could feel the grace rejuvenating him. Dean gave a satisfied nod when the vial was empty and walked towards the door. He reached the doorknob before stopping to throw a look back to his brother, his eyes softening when he saw the miserable expression his brother had hunched over his empty plate.

"Maybe I can ask to leave work early tomorrow and we can go to the library together. If anything happens use your weird mind thing to contact me, Ok?" It was as close to a peace offering as Sam was getting.

"Ok, Dean." Sam responded in an annoyed tone, but it was a typical little brother annoyed tone and less kicked puppy tone that Sam had earlier. Dean gave another nod accompanied with a slight smirk that caused Sam to roll his eyes before he stepped out the door.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

Sam had to wait another hour before making his great escape. The library opened at 9 am and Dean's work started at 8 am. Sam felt slightly guilty leaving while his brother was gone, and logically he understood the reasoning behind Dean's reluctance to let him go outside by himself, and if he was being perfectly honest with himself, he understood that what he was doing was both risky and dumb. All that said, he couldn't stand this hit to his independence. He felt like a little snot nose kid again waiting for Dad and Dean to come home from a hunt he was too young to participate in. Just the thought of that made him bristle. He went over to the small dresser against the wall closet to his bed to pull out jeans and his grumpy cat t-shirt Dean stole for him. His brother got it as a gag, but oddly enough he rather liked it. He made sure to grab his brother's ballcap with his workplace logo, "Norman's Auto", on it to hide his face.

Sam was surprised when a kind matronly voice addressed him almost as soon as he entered the library.

"Hello dear, I haven't seen you before. Are you new to the area?" An older lady who appeared to be in her fifties waited patiently behind her desk for a response. She had a pleasant face and was more on the plump side, her hair in a bun with a pencil through it that was stereotypical of librarians.

Sam tried tip his hat down to hide his eyes better and cursed his bad luck. He stupidly forgotten in his eagerness the curiosity of small rural towns.

"Oh, you must be the brother of the boy Dave Norman hired down at his shop. He was tellin me in church how he hired on a strapping young lad who was taking care of his little brother, and seeing you wear that hat, I figured that must be you." She said not unkindly, though concern was apparent in her softened gaze. "I don't mean to pry, but do you not have parents?" she added cautiously, knowing she was treading into busybody territory.

"Shit!" Sam thought. Apparently talk got around this little town faster than a wildfire. If he were Dean he would have told her to buzz off, but as is, he turned up the charm he seemed to have on older ladies.

"No ma'am. It's just my brother and I. He's got legal custody…but I don't really like to talk about it." He made sure to turn on the "puppy eyes", as Dean calls them.

"Oh dear, me and my big mouth! Of course, dear that is your business. You just holler if you need anything." She then added with a kind smile, "Just don't holler too loud as it's a library and all."

Despite her nosiness, Sam couldn't help but smile back at the earnest woman's warmth.

Unfortunately, despite Dean's best efforts to fly under the radar, it seemed as though the brothers were already making waves. Sam was just hoping that the librarian didn't mention Sam's visit to Dean's boss next Sunday.

Sam was lazily browsing down the aisles of the small library when he noticed an increasing throbbing behind his eye. He swallowed back the saliva that pooled in his mouth when the nausea that usually accompanied his migraines threatened to make him purge his breakfast. Though Sam wasn't sure if the urge to vomit was due to the headache or the fear of what came next and where. He bitterly wondered to himself if it was karma for not listening to his older brother's heading. Pretty soon the throbbing became full on pounding, and the intensity of the pain dropped Sam to his knees with a soft cry, In the back of his mind he was hoping that the librarian didn't hear him but he was more concerned at the moment with trying to control his breathing in a feeble attempt to keep on top of the pain.

Flashes of an elaborate party played across Sam's mind before it pulled him in completely into the vision. He could see that the event was in what seemed to be a grand museum. The people were speaking another language, German, if Sam had to wager a guess. When he heard the chatter around the room come to an abrupt stop, he followed the people's line of site towards the stairs and had to stifle a gasp. It was the same man that he had seen before in his previous vision. The tall lean man with raven hair and a mischievous disposition. He strode down the steps with powerful intent and grace, with the airs of royalty. A startling green leather outfit apparated over his crisp black suit as he descended into the main area, viciously clubbing a guard across the face with his staff. He then rapidly approached an older man around his lapel and flipped him onto his back over an ancient table. For some reason the name Heinrich Schäfer popped into Sam's head and played and repeat. A gruesome scene played in front of Sam's eyes as he saw the attacker use cruel looking technology to tear the man's eye out of its socket. Just as suddenly as the vision began it ended. The pitiful man's screams faded from Sam's ears, leaving a slight buzzing that came with lightheadedness.

"Honey? Are you alright? Can I call someone for you, your brother maybe?" The gentle words barely registered within his ringing ears, but the sudden weight upon his back did. With his heart in his throat he glanced behind himself to see his dark wings folded tightly against him, as if they were also trying to escape the pain, his favorite shirt torn in pieces on the floor, and for some reason, that hurt more than it should.

"Honey?" The voice prompted again; this time accompanied by a gentle shake around his shoulders. Sam glanced up to see the librarian with her hair slightly askew and a worried frown on her lips.

Immediately Sam felt tears well up in his eyes. She saw everything.

"Please don't tell anyone. Please." He softly begged. He once again cursed his hard to control emotions. He was sure Dean would have just threatened her into silence, but Sam couldn't bring himself to do it. Immediately the woman's eyes softened.

"Oh honey, you don't have to worry about a thing." She assured, and Sam felt a breath of relief escape. He willed his wings back and adjusted the cap that fell off back on his head before he made his way to the door.

"Are you sure you don't want to call your brother?" She called out after him, but he turned back around and shook his head with a smile that ended up looking more like a grimace.

"No, we're pretty close by so I will just wait for him at home."

She looked reluctant to let him leave, but before she could protest, he was out the door. The entire painful walk back Sam was kicking himself for his utter stupidity. If his own mortification wouldn't kill him then his brother surely would.

"Dean." Sam found himself saying out loud to the air. "Dean's going to kill me." After a relatively short internal debate, Sam decided that it was probably best not to tell his brother how close they came to every bad thing Dean had warned him about. But he was still conflicted about what to do about his vision.

SPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPNSPN

Banner wasn't having much luck with separating the shimmering substance from the blood samples. It was almost as if it couldn't be touched by anything from Earth. Nothing would interact with the mysterious matter, so it was difficult for him to quantify it.

"Any luck in here Doctor?" Stark asked from the doorway, leaning casually against the frame. The doctor hardly looked up from his work as he answered him.

"No, whatever this stuff is, it certainly isn't from around here. It's incorporeal in form, and nothing that I have used so far can interact with it."

Tony moved over from doorframe to table Bruce was working. His curiosity winning over his previous reluctance. A look of confusion settled on his face as he looked at the image on the microscope.

"So, what have you figured out?"

"The only thing I can say for certain is that these two are indeed brothers and they are definitely not human. Their DNA makeup is different." Bruce explained. "Tell me what you see here." He added motioning Tony over to look through two different microscopes. The other man acquiesced and peered the lens of the microscope, the moved over to the second one, a frown tugging at his lips.

"Whatever this blue stuff is, it is more pronounced in one than it is the other."

"Exactly." The spectacled doctor confirmed. "This aligns with what Fury was saying about the older brother seeming to be stronger than the other. At first, I simply thought that maybe they had different abilities, but now I'm not so sure…." He trailed of in contemplation.

Tony narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He had an idea where this was going, but he had to be sure. "So, what are you saying?"

"I'm saying that there is currently no way to interact with this substance, however, we may be able to catch the younger one if his powers are as underdeveloped as Fury says. And if we catch the younger one-" Bruce left hanging.

"The older will follow." Tony finished, not liking the plan, but even he had to agree that currently it was their only option to catch them. The doctor nodded his affirmation.

"And we just have to hope the angry older brother doesn't kill us in the process." Tony snorted in ill humor.


End file.
